It states that an outside agency will conduct an investigation for "an accident or incident involving on or off-duty police personnel which may result in an arrest (DUI, hit and run, etc.)."

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office also follows that protocol, said Assistant Sheriff Marshall Emerson.

"Any time one of our own is suspected of a crime, we automatically contact an outside agency," Emerson said.

Both agencies said the calling of an internal affairs investigation or any discipline of the officer is done on a case-by-case basis, but Pitts said his department is in the process of toughening its rules on DUI offenses. Currently, there is no written policy for how the Reno Police Department deals with officers investigated for committing crimes.

The new policy has been drafted, but the wording has not been approved by the Reno City Attorney's Office so Pitts said he could not release the details.

But he said the new policy will toughen the way the department handles officers who are investigated for crimes, and officers could lose their jobs in the future if they choose to drink and drive.